Hot Water (paperback)

Solving Mossy Bog's first fire fatality could net police officer Laurie Ann Dinterman the promotion she desperately wants. When the state arson investigator arrives to take over the case, Laurie Ann is assigned to give the man everything he needs while keeping him alive. The fact he's the sexiest man ever to hit town shouldn't make a difference.

Hot on the trail of a serial arsonist, Wyatt North demands justice for his partner, the arsonist's first victim. He'll find the murderer or die trying--no matter how distracting the tall, lithe figure of his local partner is.

As the investigation zeroes in on a suspect uncomfortably close to Laurie Ann's life, her cop instincts conflict with her feelings for Wyatt. Worse, the arsonist will do anything to protect his identity. Can Laurie Ann accept the truth in time...or will she and Wyatt go up in flames?

Uncle Buford shook his head. “I still say it ain’t right. You should be doing something that isn’t so dangerous.” Her uncle seemed to forget that crime didn’t discriminate on the basis of occupations. Hotel clerks, bank tellers, even retail associates ran into bad guys on a regular basis. Laurie Ann knew, because they called her to catch the crooks.

“You’re certain this fire wasn’t an accident?” she asked.

“People call when they have an accident. The property owners didn’t call. They didn’t know anything about it until we notified them.”

“How did a drifter like James Brown get inside?”

“Good question. I bet a hotshot officer like you can figure it out.”

She had the requisite years in service to test for an investigator position, which would be a big promotion. She’d love to get out of this uniform, love to have more control over her caseload, love to stop rotating shifts.